The subject matter herein relates generally to arcless power connectors.
Contacts carrying significant amounts of power will arc when disconnected. The amount of arc damage experienced by the contacts depends on their physical structure, the load current, the supply voltage, the speed of separation, the characteristics of the load (resistive, capacitive, inductive) as well as other factors.
Future automotive systems are expected to utilize high voltage, such as 48-volt operation or higher, to handle the increasing amount of electrical loads in vehicles. This increased voltage could cause significant arc damage to occur to the present connectors designed for 12-volt operation. Electrical connectors under load could become disengaged, such as during operation of the vehicle, leading to arcing. Conventional electrical connectors used in automotive applications require either that the current be shut off before the contacts are separated or unmated or employ a sacrificial contact portion. Components that ensure shut off of the current may include circuits that shut off the current prior to separation, which may include FET components or may have complex locking features that provide staged unlocking and separation. The cost, space, reliability, safety, performance and complexity of these conventional solutions make them unsuitable for many applications, including automotive electrical systems.
A need remains for electrical connectors for high voltage applications that allow disconnection of a live connection without arcing.